Because for once, I won’t just be the cautious, safety-conscious one watching from the sidelines. I’ll be part of the action.
I’m going to have an adventure. And while I’m out there, I’m going to find a way off this planet.
Whatever it takes.
***
Jesus Christ, what the hell was I thinking?
I must have been insane when I volunteered for this mission. Literally insane. Hell, we don’t even know if therearemore humans on Laedirissae, let alone where to find them.
The four locations Vrenner gave us are really just estimates of where the ship possibly could have come down. And here I am volunteering to accompany five aliens, who I only just met, and go wandering off on a strange planet.
If I was back on Earth and heard someone had similar plans, I’d be shaking my head at their stupidity. This violates every single safety rule that I’ve followed since I was nineteen. Every rule that I taught my sister to follow.
So, why am I doing it?
It’s that urge that’s been building inside of me since I was abducted. No, since long before then. That little voice inside me that whispers,“Do something.”I’ve always been a good big sister. The diligent one. The cautious one.
Hell, I became my sister’s guardian when I was nineteen. A literal teenager. Overnight, I went from late night study sessions and movie dates with my boyfriend to consoling a fragile twelve-year-old. We went from being a normal family to joining a club no one ever wants to belong to. I had to grow up fast. Too fast.
There was never any choice for me. I couldn’t lose Maddie too, my last family member. It wasn’t an option. So, I threw myself into raising her, even though I had no idea what I was doing half the time.
I had to get a full-time job and figure out adult things like insurance and bills. Those first few years were hard. Crappy jobs. Side-eyes when I pulled out an EBT card. Whispers when people would realize whose daughter I was.
But none of it mattered. I kept going, and we survived. And when I look at my sister now—strong, brilliant, and soher—I know every bit of it was worth it.
But now...
If there’s one thing Mom’s death and this abduction have taught me, it’s that life can change in a heartbeat. A phone call, a flash of light, and suddenly, the whole world is upside down. And now here I am, getting ready to leave for an adventure I never could have even dreamed of. In just minutes, I’ll leave behind the safety of the walled-in village for the unknown of this new world.
“I really wish you weren’t going.” Rose says, a worried frown stretching across her face.
She’s the mother hen of our group, the one who has been a friend to everyone and boosted our spirits even in the darkest moments. Ever since she revealed her pregnancy to us on the ship, her maternal instincts have seemed to only intensify.
Glancing up as I check my satchel one last time, I reply softly, “I know, but I have to. What if there are other women out there? They’re probably terrified.”
“It’s been nearly two weeks since we crashed. They’re probably a lot more than terrified. They’re probably dead,” Crystal says bluntly, giving voice to the unspoken fear at the back of my mind.
A tense silence falls over the group, and I know we’re all thinking the same thing. If there were other women on the spaceship and they crashed on this planet, then they faced the same dangers we have. But unlike us, they didn’t have a bunch of fierce warriors show up to save the day.
The warriors approach then, their mounts trailing behind, and I gulp at the sight of the massive eponirs. Somehow they’re worse than anything I could have imagined.
While the tribe uses the eponirs as transportation over long distances, just like we did in the past with horses, they’re bigger than any equine I ever remember seeing on Earth. Their bodies are covered in coarse dark brown fur, while their faces and long spiked tails are lined in green scales. A sharp, spiraled horn juts from each animal’s forehead, and their glowing red eyes seem to see straight through me. Even from here, I can make out the sharp, cloven hooves of their feet as they silently move towards us.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” Crystal mutters. “How many monsters does this planet have?”
“I think they’re cute. Kind of like unicorns,” Aria says, stepping closer.
I blink, taking another look. The hornsdogive them a unicorn vibe—if unicorns were crossed with lizards and looked like they would eat you in one bite.
Slowly, over the last couple of days the eponirs have returned from their mating season, sedately trotting up to the village gates. I eye the red gaze of the nearest eponir as it studies me, then looks away as if dismissing me. Somehow, I don’t think they’re quite as sedate as they appear.
Draggar joins the warriors, speaking quietly to them, as they check the saddles on the back of their mounts’ backs. Every so often, he glances over at Haley, and they exchange one of those secret smiles that seem to say more than words ever could.
It’s weird, but nauseatingly sweet, too.
Crystal breaks the moment with a teasing roll of her eyes. “Get a room,” she calls out, her voice laced with a thread of teasing exasperation.